


Law of the Land

by truet



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man, Don't Like Don't Read, Gen, I think he's a fascist douchebag, Not Steve Friendly, like really not steve friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 08:11:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20561069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truet/pseuds/truet
Summary: Why would the Avengers have to sign the Accords? An international agency (the UN) can't hold them legally accountable (the ICC is for crimes against humanity, not for something like policing the Accords), even if it made any sense at all logistically. Here in non-movie-writing-world, Ross stops by to tell them about this new legislation that's coming down the pike.





	Law of the Land

**Author's Note:**

> Moderated for trolls to spare my readers, but I find it endlessly amusing how bent out of shape Cap fans get about this stuff. They seek out stories to get frosty about!! hahah

"This," Secretary of State Ross thumped down a huge document on the table before them, "is a piece of legislation called the Sokovia Accords. An agreement devised by UN committee on legislating Enhanced activities within the borders of sovereign nations. 117 countries are on board to sign next week."

Tony already had seen multiple variants of the Accords while working on them with various Enhanced teams, so he was more interested in the reactions of the Avengers. Steve had already reached out and was paging through the summary, his face screwed into a grimace.

"What if we don't agree with this 'agreement' and don't choose to sign it?" Steve said, his jaw thrust out belligerently. Sam made a noise of solidarity.

Tony rolled his eyes and tilted back in his chair. He'd let Ross take this. After Ultron and the way the team had turned on him, he was pretty much done mollycoddling them. 

Ross huffed a little. "You misunderstand, Rogers. The Senate will be bringing some version of this to committee in the next six months. I brought this to show you out of...respect." 

Steve stared blankly. "So?"

Vision piped up. "What the secretary is saying is this our chance, as some of the individuals most directly affected by the legislation, to have some input before the US version of the bill solidifies. But then it will become the law of the land. By signing the UN Accords, the US is vowing to pass laws internally to abide by them."

"The law of the land." Steve puffed up even more.

"Right," Tony said. "You're a citizen. You follow the law. No signing necessary." Tony looked over at Wanda. "So do folks looking to _become_ US citizens..."

Ross cleared his throat. "The details will be put forward in the press, people will read about it, and all the Enhanced will learn what behavior is legal for superheroing jaunts. That includes checking in with the State Department before gallivanting across borders." He looked supremely satisfied.

"Yeah. We'll get back to you with that feedback straight away," Tony said, and Ross lost the smug look.

"Don’t take too long. Gentlemen. Ladies." Ross bowed and left. 

"This is bullshit," Sam said the moment door swished closed.

"Considering the trend of the last few years," Vision said thoughtfully, "we don't have much choice."

"Right, Sam." Tony jumped to his feet and started pacing. "You thought we could just dance along like we've been doing for the past four years with none of it catching up to us? We're the most visible Enhanced out there and we keep hurting people with no transparency, no oversight. Also, I might add, you guys popped into Nigeria without visas or a 'by your leave' for the Nigerian government before you blew up the place."

"A bio-weapon was about to fall into the hands of an international terrorist!" Steve's head was high, his shoulders thrown back. Tony was tempted to prompt FRIDAY to hologram a waving flag behind him. 

"Yeah, well, congrats: now you guys are the international terrorists, as far as Lagos is concerned."

"Tony!" Steve's outrage rolled right off Tony's back. He just flipped open his phone and projected photos of the eleven Wakanda aid workers killed in the bombing.

"Dr. Barongo Nafuo, pediatric surgeon; Jamani Odhiambo, aid worker..." Tony said, naming off the Wakandans one by one before moving on to the Lagos civilians. Twenty-eight in all.

Wanda started weeping.

Vision comforted her. "You were trying to save lives, Wanda."

"Way to go, Tony," Sam said. "Not like you don't have innocent blood on your hands."

"Right," Tony said grimly. "And do you see me bitching about people wanting a little oversight in their peanut butter?"

Steve stood. "They'll just want to stop us from doing good. Put us on cereal boxes and not on the front lines where we're needed." Apparently, Rogers was still bitter Tony had to license their images to support the Avengers' increasing costs for relief efforts. 

"Look, I get it. You have a hot button from when they made you punch fake Hitler instead of letting you rumble with the big boys." Tony held back a smirk at Steve's offended expression. "This isn't that, Steve. This is actual people telling you with their actual voices that you have fucked up majorly, and they are planning to pass laws to make you stop accidentally killing their people without asking permission first."

Rhodey snorted, and Tony gave him the smirk he'd been holding back. 

"So, let's hack together on this document to make it work for us, because otherwise, when you go out to get your fisticuffs on, you will be acting as a straight up vigilante wearing panty hose with no support from me or the Avengers."

"What? Tony—"

"Seriously, do you think I can support a bunch of outlaws and still protect my company from the repercussions? Not to mention, I'd probably be incarcerated for aiding and abetting; no thanks. I've been imprisoned against my will, and cot life ain't the good life."

"There's a price to be paid for standing up to injustice," Captain Chintastic said. "I spent seventy years under the ice."

Tony gaped in disbelief. 

"Wait, so now having to ask permission before invading is fascism?" Rhodey said for him. "Give it a rest, Cap." 

"He can't, sugarplum. The HYDRA in SHIELD thing has given him a complex."

Rhodey scrubbed his face with his hands. "Yeah, well, it's not up to him whether the US government wants to play nice with the rest of the world. Rogers, get a grip or you'll end up fighting law enforcement."

A strange look passed over Steve's face. A combination of resignation and 'let them come' that raised the hair on the back of Tony's neck.

"Steve? What the hell are you thinking—?" 

But Steve ignored him, moving toward the door.

"Sam, we need your help on this," Rhodey said, and Tony could see him wavering. "C'mon, man. I need backup against Tony's wiseass shit."

Sam grinned a little and took another look the way Steve had gone.

"He can take care of himself," Rhodey said. "We've got a week to get through this pile of legalese."

"Yeah, all right."

"Wanda?" Vision said. "I hope you will stay. I'm concerned about the newscasts painting you as the one to blame for Lagos. Mr. Rogers hasn't yet given any press conference to contradict them."

"Big surprise," Tony said under his breath. 

"I don't know. If they already don't like me, what's the point?"

"I can help with that. I have a whole team of people who can do nothing but work on it...if you'll work with us on this, Wanda. Enhanced people need good PR." And Tony would work to fix her image, regardless of how he felt about her. Otherwise, other kids with enhancements might never get a chance.

"All right," she said, her eyes dipping. 

"All right. Nat? You've been pretty quiet."

"I've been watching the master."

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

"Nothing." She smiled faintly. "You know me, Tony. I like to keep my hand in."

"That's the spirit! All for one, or something." Tony clapped his hands. "All right. Let me get my lawyers, because without them, we aren't going to be able to make heads or tails of this thing. Believe me." God, all that legalese. Reading legislation was like trying to translate Latin when you only knew Italian.

"Friday, get me Nelson and Murdock. Tell them Operation: Avengers is a go.

"And brew up some coffee. Lots of coffee."

  
_End_

**Author's Note:**

> I was reading Old Souls by the_writer1988, and Tony mentioned when the Accords became law, regardless if Steve signed them, he'd have to obey them. I thought, right. Why the fuck would the Avengers ever have to "sign" the Accords? For that matter, they wouldn't be called the Accords, they'd be called SB168 or something and they'd be passed and signed into US law (same deal, different nomenclature in 116 other nations) and it makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE that the UN would have a panel or any such to control the Avengers. That's just weird ass movie-unreality. 
> 
> In the real world, the Enhanced would have a local agency wherever they are based, and the agency would coordinate with their state departments to enter into other countries in accordance with the Accords. That's the way it's presently done with the FBI, the RCMP, etc.
> 
> And if someone chose not to act in accordance with the laws requiring them to coordinate their efforts with the Accords Agency, say, whatever the US agency ended up being called, probably the Enhanced Beings Patriot Panel or some shit, then they would be prosecuted by the US (or arrested by foreign nations if they ventured to one of the 116 other countries and abused their laws) and that would be that. I imagine the agency would have age requirements and such before allowing superheroes to go careening around punching bad guys, but oh well. Sorry, Spider-Man. :D


End file.
